Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-12-27
THE STAR OF BErHLEHEu.
Some InterestIng Facts nnc CaicuIa-


Some interesting Facts nnC Saicnia-
tiOns.
lP. II. H. i'm Wilmington -. c. StarJ
Some further facts on this subject may
prove Of interest to your readers of tins
season.
The exact date of the birth Of our Lord
has been a matter of great discussion
among biblical scholars, but some facts
are certain, and the view here presented
Is very generally accepted at this time.
!. 1t is positively known that our COM
mon era is NJ ic0st four years too late.
Hcrod the Great was alive when Christ
was born, and he died just before the
Passover (Iarch) 7jj A. L. C.--that is,
from the founding of Rome The year
! OF our era corresponds with the year
7j4 4. L. c.. it WAS calculated In the
sixth century 10y Dlouysius Eignus.
Roman abbot, and partakes of tine IN
accurate scholarship of the period.
.. II is known from the Talmui what
priestiy course was on duty at the fail of
the Temple From this it is calculated
that the course Of Abinh luke l., -
wa on duty from October 30, us A. |.
G. III the auuunciatlou 10 Xacharias
vas made then. John the Baptist WAS
born July, 40 \. &. c., and Jesus six
months later Luke j., 3jl, or December
OF the same year. Ihi, comedies with
the facts about the time of Herods
death.
3. Johns ministry began in the ff-
teenth year Of the reign of hherus
Q.uke hi; I'D Augustus died August
767. A. L. c., but IiOerius began to
reign Jointly with him January 7G3.
Calculating from the earlier date, the
fifteenth year Of Iiberius began January
40, A. L. c.. and in that year John he
gan his ministry. At the height of that
ministry Jesus came to be baptized and,
and according to Luke ill., %, "be-
gan 10 be about thirty years OF age.
The word QboW OF course admitsot ati-
tude. but remembering that thirty years
was the legal age winch priests began
their ministry Numbers w., 81 1t IS evil
dent that there i, a significance in tine
mention of the age. which indicates that
the latitude is not wide. As John was a
priest of the LeyIticai order We cannot
doubt that he also began his ministry at
the legal age. According 20 the result
arrived at above ne should have reached
this age July. no, and Jesus could have
been baptized not far from December of
tue same year. Again all is consistent.
(. And now We come to the star. The
conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn oc-
cured in the constellation pisces IN the
year ~ \. (. c. In rs Mars was
added 10 them. The Chinese astronomi-
cal tables record Hrir st0r that appear
ed in 80 and was seen for seventy days.
Humboldt cOrrobOrted tins, as also
Puqre, who calls it comet he records
the appearance Of two comets, one ia
February and March, 7l9, the other
i. April, $50. Before assuming that
the conjunction referred to was the star
OF Bethlehem. it should be noted that
the planets did not appear ms single
star, but nd the nearest were distant from
each other by two apparent diameters of
the moon. 1t must also be borne in
mind that the expression star III the
east is misleading. The wise men were
" from the east " Matthew H.. u. and
they said, Owe have seen his star in the
east '-j. c., they were in the east when
they saw it, If the star had appeared 10
them in tine eastern heaven II would not
have led them westward to Judea
To what conclusion do these facts lead ?
To this at least, that there were remarka-
blc phenomena in the heavens that could
lead astroloqers to expect some great
event that they began about twO years
before the date we have found for the
birth of Christ. Compare Matthew H.,
: and 10 Herod's only datum for the
age Of the child was the first astrOnOmi-
cal phenomenon that attracted the at
tention Of the Wise mem that,
guided by the Spirit OF God, and
their knowledge OF Jewish traditions
current among them since the Baby
lonist captyity-cspec.aily, perhaps, the
prophecy Of Baalam (whO was one Of
their own ORDER with regard to the
4" Star out Of Jacob, and the rabbinical
belief that a conjunction oil Jupiter and
Saturn had occurred in the constellation
Pisces before the birth of Moses, and
would occur there again before the birth
of the Messiah-they are led to look
for the advent OF the King of
the Jews that led westward either 10y
the first comet above mentioned, or by
miraculous star sent especially for this
guidance, they arrive ut Jerusalem aud
are directed to Bethlehem. where, rs
they Journey, the star appssSs~ again.
Whatever the star that led them to
,Judea, this must almost certainly have
been a miraculous star, since it now led
them southwark, aud stood over where
the child was" This description would
indicate star-like appearance in the
lower atmosphere.
In the absence Of contrary evidence it
may then he considered as fairly estab-
lished that Christ was born December,
749 4. u. c., or b. G. Dor four years be-
fore the common era. As our year be-
gins with January, and the birth was in
December, according to the present era,
it would have been in the year 1 b. c.
This little table may save confusion in
some minds;
747, 7lS, 7i9, $50, 75l, 752, 753, 754,
755, A. u. C..
n n 7e5A9 otl0 u